What are Marching Band Competitions?

Marching band competitions are like track meets or swimming tournaments where many different schools compete/perform. For the band, competitions are their “game days.”  Band competitions are hosted by another school’s band program and take place in their football stadium. Bands that perform are critiqued and ranked in different areas of marching band performance by qualified judges. 

It is important for parents to know what they should expect when they go see their students compete AND it’s very important for families to try to attend these competitions. This is OUR team’s performance and a cheering section is always appreciated! Read below on what to expect during competition days for parents and families.

• Departure and approximate return times, plus directions on how to get to each show, are announced the week prior to each competition. CVHS Band & Color Guard travels to each competition as a group, with chaperones and staff, on Agua Fria District buses.

• Competitions take place, rain or shine! Dress for the weather. Cold, wind, rain, and plenty rays of sun have all been experienced. Layering of clothes is always helpful along with an umbrella/rain repellent outerwear and a seat cushion. Performances may move indoors when raining, but you might get caught in the rain so be prepared. 

• Performances will usually be in the early afternoon or evening – we usually do not find out the schedule until the week of the show. Parents traveling separately from the Ensemble should plan to arrive in time to find parking and purchase tickets. Tickets for the shows are approximately $5 to $15, plus programs, which vary in price. Remember to bring cash, as some host schools will only accept cash.

• The Competition is hosted by the Band Boosters at that school. They can earn quite a bit of money by charging admission and selling concessions. Most schools have barbecues going and sell a variety of pre-packaged food. Snow Cones and Kettle Corn are big crowd pleasers. The choices are different at each competition. Again, bring cash!

• If you have Spirit Gear or CVHS (Royal/Black) colors, wear them so other CVHS parents can find you, sit together, and cheer together. Seating is first come, first seated, though it is great to be able to sit in a block. Most competitions request that you remain seated during performances, but you can clap and cheer for us! 

Marching Band Season runs from late July until Mid November. This is the most exciting (and BUSY) time of the year for our Jaguar Pride Band students and families, but it's worth it!  We can't wait to see them on the field doing what they all do so well. 

For those of you who are new band parents, and as a reminder for those of us who have been doing this for a while, we wanted to provide these rules as a guideline for marching band contest season.  Competition and game days can be overwhelming for our new families and sometimes the little things get overlooked.  We're happy to help our new parents feel a little more at ease with the process.  

Marching Band Etiquette for Parents and Visitors

These rules apply any time you are watching a band performance, including football games, after football games, exhibitions, and of course competitions.

RULE #1:   Please leave all noisemakers at home.  This is extremely important at all Marching Competitions. They may distract the performers and could even impact a band's score if the judge is unable to hear the music. Cheering and applause are fine during a performance and may be especially appropriate after a solo or when the band or color guard achieves a particularly striking effect. Music judges are almost always outside of the press box near the center of the stadium. If you are sitting directly below this area, please be extremely aware of your noise level throughout our performance and the entire competition.

RULE #2:   Please refrain from talking in the stands while ANY band is performing.  This is a serious distraction to them and the people around you. Your conversation can wait until a band is not on the field. Remember this is just like a performance at a concert hall. Refraining from conversations during a performance makes it easier for everyone around you to hear what’s coming from the field.

RULE #3:  Please turn off (or at least put on vibrate) your cell phone. If you receive a call during a performance, please wait until that performance is over before returning the call.

RULE #4:  Please don’t get up to leave or come into the stands during a performance. This is especially distracting to the band on the field and those around you. Please do that in between performances.

RULE #5:  EVERY band that takes the field deserves our absolute attention and respect. We applaud every band that takes the field. Remember, those kids have worked just as hard as yours and they deserve it!

RULE #6:  Please don’t speak poorly of other bands in the stands, even if you didn’t like their performance. They’ve worked hard on it. Those other parents around you might be the parents or friends of the kids in the band you were just talking about. Always keep a positive attitude regarding EVERY band. Band is a family even in competition. Negative comments can reflect poorly on the entire Jaguar Pride Band program.

RULE #7:  Please refrain from calling out your student’s name when the Jaguar Pride Band takes the field. Instead of drawing attention to one individual (which usually just embarrasses that student), stick with a traditional  cheer that will bring attention to the entire ensemble.

RULE #8:  No matter where we finish in the standings at the end of the evening, please applaud every band. It’s not about where we place or what trophies we garner; but rather how well the kids performed that day/night on the field.

RULE #9:  Taking photos are okay are competitions; however, please do NOT bring any tripods and please do NOT take any video and/or audio recordings! On the other hand, at football games, taking photos and videos is completely okay! Just please do not stand or obstruct the view of others around. 

IMPORTANT - please do NOT share any video or audio recording of the Jaguar Pride Band show.  This includes "live streaming" on any social media sites, as they turn into posted videos once the live stream is over. There are copyright rules that need to be followed.

We want everyone to walk away from the night’s performances saying what a class act the Jaguar Pride Marching Band and Fans are. Our kids are held to incredibly high standards. We should be too!

See you at the games and competitions!

What to expect during the competitions

Students report to CVHS Campus to leave for the Competition. Call times will usually be released by the Monday before the competition. 

When the Band and Color Guard get to the Competition location, the trailer is unloaded and students gather their uniform pieces, instruments, and Color Guard equipment. Band and Color Guard proceed to their designated warm-up areas which are usually in separate locations. Bands may not practice or warm-up within the earshot or visual vicinity of the stadium.

The Pit Crew will assist percussion in getting their equipment to their designated warm-up area. Approximately ten (10) – fifteen (15) minutes before the performance, the Band and Color Guard come together and get into position. Once they are called, they enter the field. They have a limited amount of time to get onto the field. The Pit Crew pushes the equipment onto the field and gets everything in position. The Band is given a specific amount of prep time for setup and warm-up. There will be deductions for any time taken over that. The Pit Crew must leave the area before that time expires. Once the band appears to be ready the announcer will introduce the band.

Once the band hear their name, they are to immediately set to begin the performance.  The field show must fit within certain time and musical parameters. The first note of music will start the timing of the show. The band is allowed a specific amount of  performance time 

The judges watch very closely to see if the band is synchronized, in step, and for the spacing that occurs. They judge the quality of the music performance as well. Another judge or two is dedicated to judging the Color Guard or other Auxiliary.

Competition classes depend on the number of performers in the Band and Color Guard. Groups of similar sizes compete against each other, within their class. There are breaks in the competition between class performances. 

Competitions are fairly formal in regards to the audience similar to a professional orchestra concert. No one in the audience is allowed to be seated (nor should anyone leave) during a band's performance and all audience members should remain quiet during the performance. There are breaks between categories.

Following completion of your show, the band and color guard marches off the field. The band will have a specific amount of time to vacate the performance area (outside/clear of the goal line), which will be the conclusion of their overall performance time. All props and equipment must be totally removed from the Performance Area. 

All uniformed students will receive a hand stamp or wristband that will allow them access back into the stadium, the student often change into school colors or band tee shirts and get something to eat, and sit in the stands to watch other bands.

Most Competitions will give out the all-important awards at one time, although some competitions will have two awards ceremonies depending on how many groups are competing. 

The Award Ceremony is a treat unto itself. The Drum Majors and the Auxiliary Captains form a semi-circle on the field. Sometimes the performers in the stands start a wave, yell, or group visual of some kind. This quickly becomes a competition of its own. Some bands are extremely regimented and do none of this, and may simply stand at attention.

Each size class has three (3) or more categories of awards: Percussion, Auxiliary (Color Guard), and Visual/instrumental. All are awarded strictly by the judge’s calculations.

When an award is given, the leadership team steps up to get the trophy and usually does some kind of distinguishing choreographed salute before accepting the award. Sometimes the routines get very complicated. There’s a lot of saluting going on. 

After the Award Ceremony is over (and they can take a while!) the leadership approaches the stands where the students are seated and the students cheer for their award and school.

Attending the Award ceremony is extremely important – and unless there is a major time lapse between performance and the award ceremony, the Band and Color Guard always stays for the whole thing. Parents are encouraged to come and cheer the band on – this is a competition after all!